Re: java: switch to icedtea-8 as default JDK

[Ricardo Wurmus <rekado@elephly.net>]

Hi Gábor,

> We could split the bootsrap part out of java.scm, to something like
> java-bootstrap.scm.

I agree that it would be good to separate the language bootstrap from
all other packages.

> The have a file like java-checkpoint.scm only with definitions like (define
> idectea8 icedtea8-bootstrap).
> This would make the checkpoints we discussed on  the Reproducible Build
> Summit more visible, and explicitly declare which packages are the real
> base of java. We do not allow using java-bootstrap from anywhere else, but
> from the checkpoint.

I don’t know if using a separate module would be necessary here.  The
primary checkpoint for Java is the JDK and Ant, and all that the
bootstrap module would have to provide is these two packages.

> Another thing we could is have something like java-defaults.scm with
> definitions like (define icedtea icedtea8). This would make default
> settings more visible, and might server as the basis of an alternatives
> like system.

I’d rather not start a new module just for that, to be honest.  We
already have these definitions for the default GCCs and fortran compilers.

> Also with java9 coming we should be prepared to do another iteration on
> this, and a cleaner sturcture might make that easier.

This would merely add one additional step to the bootstrap chain.  Once
we decide to switch to that version, we just update the defaults again.

But I agree that a cleaner module structure could help.

--
Ricardo

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